Recommendations of the Editorial team
Elvis Presley, Whitney Houston, Freddie Mercury and Amy Winehouse back on stage? The idea of “Staying Alive” is fascinating and clever. Using a previously secret technology, AI avatars come onto the stage that look, well, deceptively real. However, there is still a feeling of uneasiness in all of this, because somehow, as with all artificial intelligence products, you look for errors and of course you find them. Worse, however, is what the show’s subtitle promises: Stars sing with legends.
It would have been bearable if the No Angels or Sasha had been allowed to sing hits by Elvis and Whitney, but the submissive images of the music giants also had to sing along to their chart successes. Many found it embarrassing, the ratings for the first episode were rather poor. The look at the second show on May 2nd (Saturday) becomes more of a foreign shame festival and curiosity about how well or how badly Freddie Mercury and Amy Winehouse are hit.
“The Perfect Match” instead of “Staying Alive”
Maybe it’s just the stale concept that makes “Staying Alive” such an unpleasant dance of death. Instead, how about another show to save what was actually a good idea. How about “The Perfect Match”?
The AI legends are also there. But other participants are not established A or B celebrities of the German music scene, but rather talented newcomers or professional background singers who are known for their voice but not for their face.
Each week of the show, contestants must perform a duet with an AI legend. The challenge: It’s not about copying the star, but rather creating a new interpretation of one of her classics on stage that can match the original voice as much as possible. Who sings more energetically than Whitney Houston, who swings their hips better than Elvis Presley?
This would not only bring attention to young voices, it would also make it possible to bring back the spirit of the deceased and honor them in their own, sometimes perhaps surprising, way.
Hungry talents challenge legends
In order for the show to avoid a media disruption of the peace of the dead like “Staying Alive”, the secret technology behind it would have to be demystified. So the avatar shouldn’t try to appear as alive as possible in order to keep up with the people at his side. It would be more about making them appear like real, unapproachable stars in order to make the young artists in particular shine more when they outdo their role models.
Since no German format can do without celebrities, they are welcome to sit on the jury. The main thing is that they are no longer overly emotional duet partners. A bonus would be if the jury consisted of at least some people who had a real connection to the star or were music industry experts. They then not only evaluate the singing, but also pay attention to whether the candidate lives up to the legend’s legacy.
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